The best-preserved temples of the Greek Ages, amazing natural scenery, and the real Mozzarella!
If you love History, Art, and Archaeology, you can’t miss the Park of Paestum. . . And you can visit it with me, your local and professional Archaeologist!
The ancient Paestum was built around 2500 years ago (late 7th century BC), occupying the green Piana del Sele in Magna Graecia. Dedicated to the god of the sea Poseidon, the then Poseidonia was founded by the citizens of Sibari (now Calabria), to make it a port on the Tyrrhenian Sea proper for trade with the Etruscans.
In the age of classical Greece (V-IV century BC), the city experienced its period of maximum splendor and wealth, thus forging the face that seduced eighteenth-century travelers with its Greek walls, the large agora and its three large temples.
In 273 BC, Rome established a colony of Latin law there and the city became Paestum. Relations between Pestani and Romans are
always close and trusted, so much so that the ancient polis beats its own currency and prospered in the economy while absorbing the new Roman urban reorganization.
Here, you’ll walk among some beautiful examples of Greek architecture, better preserved in Southern Italy.
The best examples are the three Doric style temples: the Temple of Neptune, the Temple of Ceres and the Basilica.
Followed by a visit to the National Archaeological Museum of Paestum, in which the most important examples of Greek art are preserved. Inside the museum, you’ll see the decorations of the temples and some of the most beautiful painted tombs of Campania. The Tomb of the Diver, kept in perfect conditions, fascinates hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Visit the most famous buffalo farm
After the visit to the archaeological Paestum, we will head to one of the most famous agricultural estates in the area,
, which is so renowned that it is the official supplier of buffalo mozzarella for significant events that take place in Italy. The cheese factory is famous for serving mozzarella at the G7 event in Naples and to the President of the United States. Here the 600 buffaloes on the farm are cured only with homeopathic remedies and are fed with the best fodder while constantly listening to music.
We will visit the buffalo farms and the attached cheese factory, where the processing of mozzarella is done entirely by hand to ensure the hygiene and uniqueness of the production.
On the Buffalo farm, a fantastic tasting of buffalo mozzarella and other products obtained from this milk will follow, exclusively from this company: yogurt, puddings, and ice cream.
The tour of Paestum with buffalo mozzarella tasting ends in the afternoon with the return to your hotel or agreed meeting point.
ITINERARY
– The guide will meet the guests at the entrance of the Archaeological Park
– You’ll first visit the Park of the Temples: getting inside the ancient buildings, you will be guided back to the great history of the Magna Grecia. From the story of the colony to the construction techniques, from the religion to the daily life, you’ll walk through the best expression of the society of the time.
– The next stop will be the Archaeological Museum: surrounded by Greek Art treasures, you’ll see the very original examples of decoration during the Greek Ages in Campania, from temples to tombs.
We are visiting:
– the forum, the streets, the arena, some houses (Roman period).
– Cd. Basilica, the temple of Neptune, the temple of Ceres (Greek period). (1 hour and 30 minutes in total)
– the local museum: Greek and Lucan art. half hour)
And then, you’ll move to a Mozzarella Farm: here you’ll see the making process and you’ll sit there to tast the fresh and real Mozzarella!